1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to multicolored liquid crystal displays. More particularly, this invention concerns a multicolored liquid crystal display for use in devices that measure intensity level and convert the intensity level measurement to a corresponding voltage level.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Moving parts in machinery, equipment and appliances, both industrial and commercial, eventually wear out over prolonged operation, causing breakdown of the whole. In industry, equipment breakdown is economically undesirable because any downtime of the machinery required for repairs is costly. Even worse, failure may be so complete that replacement of the whole piece of equipment is required.
In a commercial setting, such as a business establishment, equipment breakdown can mean lost business. Even in the private home, where appliances such as air conditioners, furnaces and clothing washers are depended upon for convenience and comfort, equipment breakdown is a nuisance and an inconvenience.
In industry, because of the expenses involved in equipment breakdown, vibration analysts are used to periodically check equipment in order to detect future equipment failures at an early stage of deterioration when repairs can be made relatively inexpensively and before conditions for violent, potentially dangerous failure exist. Current vibration analysis practices, however, are both expensive and cumbersome.
The major drawback in present-day vibration analysis practices is that the devices currently on the market for taking vibration measurements are both expensive and difficult to operate. Current vibration meters are highly technical devices that yield complex numerical data that must be interpreted by highly trained personnel. Qualified vibration analysis are hard to find. There are no formal courses offered by academic institutions to train vibration specialists. Rather, they receive their training only through years of field experience. As a result, only about 20% of all industrial plants in the United States presently employ vibration analysts. The remaining 80% are without this analytical tool necessary for the avoidance of expensive equipment failures.
Outside of industry, appliances and equipment such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, air conditioners, furnaces and motor vehicles are all susceptible to component part failure that can be detected early by vibration or noise level analysis. Clearly, in the non-industrial setting, it is prohibitively expensive for home owners and business proprietors to pay a trained analyst to periodically check their equipment and appliances. Further, the available meters for testing are too complex for use by anyone other than a trained vibration specialist. Thus, home owners and business proprietors are currently deprived of services which can detect equipment failure at an early stage.
The problem of complex monitoring device readouts extends beyond the vibration analysis field to any situation in which it is desirable to monitor the intensity level of changing physical properties, such as temperature, velocity, sound, etc., through a readout device when the only individual available to observe the monitor readout is untrained or otherwise incapable of interpreting complex numerical information. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a monitoring device readout that is universally understandable.